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The  PAN  AMERICAN  UNION 

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JOHN  BARRETT  . . Director  General 

FRANCISCO  J.  YANES  . Assistant  Director 

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Contrast 

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In  the  Development  of  Nationality 

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Anglo  America  and  Latin  America 

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BY 

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Federico  Alfonso  Pezet 

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WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

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CONTRAST  IN  THE  DEVELOPMENT  OE 
NATIONALITY  IN  ANGLO  AMERICA  AND 
LATIN  AMERICA^ 


I have  chosen  as  my  subject  a question  that  is  most  important  at 
this  time,  when  there  is  a growing  tendency  to  know  better  and  to  under- 
stand the  peoples  of  the  Latin  xLmerican  nations;  to  get  closer  to  them 
by  establishing  bonds  of  friendship  through  commercial  relations  based 
on  mutual  respect  and  confidence,  as  is  evidenced  by  this  Conference, 
and  by  the  recent  utterances  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  in 
his  memorable  declarations  at  Mobile. 

In  order  to  properly  determine  the  relative  positions  and  conditions 
of  the  two  great  groups  of  individuals  that  people  this  American 
world,  north  and  south  of  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  we 
must  first  study  the  contrasts  in  the  development  of  nationality  in 
these  two  groups  that,  for  expediency,  I shall  denominate  or  class  as 
“Anglo  American”  and  “Latin  American.” 

No  man  can  truly  appreciate  another  if  he  does  not  know  him.  No 
nation  can  feel  friendship  towards  another  if  it  does  not  know  it.  But 
to  know,  should  imply  understanding,  without  which  there  can  be 
nothing  in  common,  and  understanding  is  essential  to  draw  individuals 
together,  and  this  is  also  true  of  nations. 

International  relations  are  necessary.  They  are  cultivated  for  many 
reasons,  but  they  do  not  necessarily  mean  friendship.  Nations,  like 
individuals,  live  on  good  terms  with  their  neighbors  because  it  behooves 
them  to  do  so,  but  this  does  not  imply  that  they  are  friends,  that  there 
is  any  closer  relation  between  them,  other  than  one  of  courteous 
deference  towards  each  other. 

Such  neighbors,  whether  they  be  individuals  or  nations,  do  not  know 
each  other,  much  less  do  they  understand  each  other.  There  is,  con- 
sequently, no  true  friendship  between  them;  no  bond  of  union. 

Therefore,  if  such  people  wish  to  become  friendly,  they  must  begin 
by  knowing  each  other,  becoming  acquainted  through  intercourse  and 
thus  discover  their  respective  trdits  and  characteristics,  so  that,  in 
course  of  time,  a sentiment  of  understanding  is  born,  which,  being 
reciprocal,  eventually  gives  way  to  friendship,  and,  in  like  manner,  to 
amity  between  nations. 

'An  address  delivered  by  Senor  Don  tederico  Alfonso  Pezet,  Minister  of  Peru, 
before  Clark  University,  Worcester,  Mass.,  November  21,  1913. 

(2j 


contrasts — ANGLO  AND  LATIN  AMERICA 


3 


Therefore,  as  a first  essential  to  the  study  of  the  subject  matter  of 
these  remarks,  we  must  place  ourselves  in  a position  to  perfectly  under 
stand  the  very  peculiar  conditions  of  settlement  and  growth  of  Latin 
America,  before  we  can  obtain  any  fair  estimate  of  present-day  Latin 
America. 

These  conditions  were  very  different  from  those  that  have  been  found 
in  Anglo  America.  This  is  a most  important  point  and  one  that 
should  be  made  clear  to  all  who  in  this  nation,  and  eslewhere,  are 
trying  to  know  and  to  understand  Latin  America  and  its  people. 

When  this  point  becomes  apparent  to  all,  then  I shall  expect  to  see 
another  attitude  towards  our  people.  I contend,  that  the  average 
Anglo  American  does  not  appreciate  us  because  he  invariably  wants 
to  measure  us  by  his  own  standards,  regardless  of  the  fact  that  those 
standards  do  not  happen  to  fit  our  special  type  of  humanity. 

Physically  we  are  more  or  less  similar,  but  in  a moral  sense  each 
has  special  traits  of  character  that  mark  the  peculiar  idiosyncrasies 
in  each.  Therefore,  if  we  reverse  the  process  and  we  Latin  Americans 
measure  you  Anglo  Americans  by  our  standards,  we,  likewise,  would 
find  you  as  below  par,  according  to  our  estimate,  which  proves  my 
premises,  that,  firstly,  secondly  and  lastly,  we  have  to  thoroughly 
understand  each  other,  if  there  is  to  be  any  reciprocal  appreciation, 
and  it  behooves  us  to  be  forebearing,  generous  and  to  accept  the  other’s 
idiosyncrasies  as  absolutely  exact  traits  of  character,  born  with  the 
individual,  or  developed  in  him  through  environment.  In  order  to 
make  this  point  clear,  I must  ask  you  to  consider  two  things : first,  the 
relative  conditions  at  the  time  of  the  discovery,  by  Christopher  Colum- 
bus, of  the  territories  that  constitute  what  is  known  today  as  the 
United  States  of  North  America,  and  of  those  that  constitute  Latin 
America;  second,  the  class  and  type  of  white  men  who  became  the 
first  settlers  in  either  section  of  the  American  Continent,  on  your  ter- 
ritory, and  on  ours. 

Your  territory,  at  the  time  of  the  advent  of  the  white  man  from 
Europe,  was  more  or  less  of  a virgin  territory,  inhabited  by  savage 
and  semi-savage  nomadic  tribes,  thinly  scattered  all  over  a very  vast 
area.  While  our  territory  was,  to  a very  great  extent,  organized  into 
states  in  a measure  barbaric,  but,  nevertheless,  semi-civilized,  densely 
populated,  and  concentrated  in  a manner  to  make  for  cohesion.  Mayas, 
Aztecs  and  Toltecs,  Caras,  Chimus,  Incas,  Aymaras  and  Quichuas,  and 
other  tribes,  less  known,  overran  our  territory  and  presented  marked 
contrast  with  conditions  in  yours. 

As  the  news  of  the  discovery  of  the  New  World  invaded  the 
European  countries,  two  types,  that  were  to  mould  the  destinies  of 


4 


THE  PAN  AMERICAN  UNION 


the  wonderlands  beyond  the  seas,  were  brought  into  play;  the  one 
formed  of  the  oppressed  and  persecuted  by  religious  intolerance,  the 
other  of  the  adventurous  soldiers  of  fortune,  in  quest  of  gold  and 
adventures. 

Both  of  these  started  out  with  set  purposes;  the  oppressed  and  per- 
secuted came  to  the  New  World,  to  build  up  new  homes,  free  from  all 
the  troubles  left  behind;  while  the  adventurous  came  bent  on  destroy- 
ing and  carrying  away  everything  they  could  lay  their  hands  on.  So 
here  we  have  the  true  genesis  of  the  formation  of  nationality  in  Anglo 
and  Latin  America.  In  the  two  great  classes,  the  permanent  and  the 
temporar}^  the  one  to  build  up,  the  other  to  tear  down  and  destroy. 
The  one  came  with  reverence,  the  other  with  defiance;  both  with  an 
equally  set  purpose,  but  the  one  with  humility  in  his  heart,  the  other 
proud  and  overbearing;  the  one  full  of  tenderness  born  of  his  religious 
zeal,  the  other  cruel  and  unscrupulous. 

Thus  we  find  that  Anglo  America  was  settled  by  austere  men, 
seeking  religious  freedom,  men  who  were  fleeing  from  states  with 
laws  prejudicial  to  their  beliefs  and  practices,  men  dissatisfied  with 
the  political  conditions  in  their  own  countries,  who  did  not  wish  to 
go  so  far  as  to  sever  their  connection  entirely  with  the  fatherland, 
but  who  sought  in  the  new  colonies  ameliorated  conditions  under  their 
own  flag ; men  who  came  to  build  homes  in  a new  land,  eager  to  remain 
because,  full  of  energy,  they  saw  in  the  very  newness  of  the  land  the 
great  opportunities  it  offered  them  to  build  a greater  commercial  and 
political  future  for  themselves.  Besides  these  good  elements  there 
came,  as  a matter  of  course,  a few  adventurous  outlaws,  and  others 
attracted  to  the  New  Land  by  the  prevalent  “Wanderlust”  of  the  times 
— the  latter,  a decided  minority. 

Let  us  now  turn  to  Latin  America.  To  her  went  the  soldiers  of 
fortune,  valiant  but  ignorant,  adventurous  and  daring  yet  unscru- 
pulous. They  came  principally  from  a country  where  religious  bigotry 
was  rampant.  They  were  an  admixture  of  virtues  and  vices.  They 
came  to  conquer,  to  flght  if  necessary;  their  one  aim  was  to  better 
their  lot,  regardless  of  by  what  means  or  as  to  the  consequences. 
The  companions  of  Pizarro,  Hernando  Cortez,  de  Soto,  Almagro, 
Pedrarias,  Vasco  Nunez  de  Balboa,  were  in  marked  contrast  to  the 
men  who  came  to  the  shores  of  New  England  with  the  Pilgrim  Fathers. 

To  us  came  the  militarists  seeking  a field  for  new  exploits,  and  in 
their  wake  came  adventurous  outlaws  seeking  gold  and  riches.  Of 
course,  there  also  came  some  good  men,  some  who  would  have  been 
willing  to  preserve  what  they  found,  but  these  were  a minority,  and 
besides,  the  existing  conditions  throughout  our  territories  prevented 


CONTRASTS — ANGLO  AND  LATIN  AMERICA 


5 


this.  Because  while  in  your  territory  there  were  nothing  but  nomadic, 
savage  and  semi-savage  tribes,  without  fixed  settlements,  in  our  terri- 
tory, the  vSpaniards  came  upon  organized  states,  having  a certain 
civilization  of  their  own. 

So  we  have  it,  that  in  Anglo  America  the  whites  arrived  and  settled 
peacefully,  acquiring  the  ownership  of  the  land  from  the  native 
Indians,  either  by  right  of  purchase,  by  peaceful  treaty  negotiations, 
or  in  some  instances  by  forceful  occupation,  after  actual  warfare  with 
the  aborigines,  which  ended  with  the  conquest  of  the  land,  but  not  of 
its  inhabitants,  who  in  each  case  were  driven  westward. 

In  Latin  America  the  whites  came  as  a militarily  organized  force. 
They  overran  the  countries  they  discovered,  fighting  their  way  from 
the  very  outset  right  into  the  heart  of  the  unknown  territories  that 
they  seized,  destroying  everything,  plundering  wholesale  and  making 
a display  of  force  and  rare  indomitable  courage  so  as  to  cower  the 
astonished  natives.  In  Latin  America  the  white  men  overthrew  the 
native  governments  and  established  themselves  as  the  governing  class, 
reducing  the  Indian  to  a state  bordering  on  actual  slavery  that,  in 
many  instances,  was  slavery.  Every  cruelty  was  resorted  to  by  the  con- 
querors. No  pity  nor  mercy  was  ever  shown  unto  the  defenceless 
tribes.  From  the  very  first  it  was  a question  of  asserting  his  supe- 
riority as  a master,  and  making  the  Indian  feel  that  he  was  but  a mere 
tool  in  his  master’s  hands. 

From  the  foregoing,  it  can  readily  be  seen  that  while  your  territory 
was  being  colonized,  in  the  strictest  sense  of  the  word,  by  your  fore- 
fathers, ours  was  being  conquered  by  the  white  man,  in  such  a manner 
as  to  be  most  detrimental  to  posterity. 

Now',  let  us  glance  at  the  types  of  men  who  came  to  your  and  to 
our  sections  of  the  Continent.  The  Colonists  of  Anglo  America  came 
from  those  countries  of  northwestern  Europe,  where  there  was  the 
greatest  freedom,  the  nearest  approach  to  Republican  institutions  and 
government  of  the  people,  and  by  the  people,  existent  at  the  time. 
England,  Scotland  and  Wales,  the  Netherlands,  French  Huguenots, 
Scandinavians,  and  Germans  were  the  stock  from  which  were  evolved 
the  American  Colonies. 

The  conquerors  of  Latin  America  were  militarists  from  the  most 
absolute  monarchy  in  Western  Europe,  and  with  these  soldiers  came 
the  adventurers.  And  after  the  first  news  of  their  wonderful  exploits 
reached  the  mother  country,  and  the  first  fruits  of  the  conquests  were 
shown  in  Spain,  their  Most  Catholic  Majesties,  Ferdinand  and  Isabella, 
felt  it  their  duty  to  send  to  the  new  kingdoms,  beyond  the  seas,  learned 
and  holy  monks  and  friars,  men  of  science,  and  scions  of  noble  fam- 


6 


THE  PAN  AMERICAN  UNION 


ilies.  With  these  came  men  of  means  and  of  great  power  at  home. 
They  brought  a very  large  clerical  force,  composed  mainly  of  younger 
sons  of  the  upper  classes;  each  one  eager  to  obtain  a sinecure,  trust- 
ing to  his  relatives  and  powerful  sponsors  to  better  his  condition,  and 
in  time,  get  his  promotion  to  more  important  and  more  lucrative 
positions. 

It  was  a veritable  army  of  Bureaucrats,  of  office-seekers,  of  penni- 
less and  spendthrift  young  men,  that  overran  our  territory;  men  who 
had  never  done  any  work  at  home;  men  who  by  reason  of  birth,  or 
by  reason  of  the  conditions  existing  in  the  mother  country  at  the  time, 
had  never  had  to  do  any  work,  men  whose  one  and  only  ambition  was 
a high  salary,  because  they  had  never  had  occasion  to  learn  a profes- 
sion nor  to  earn  a livelihood  through  industry  and  toil. 

From  sources  so  widely  different  in  their  components  sprang  the 
Anglo  American  and  the  Latin  American.  Your  men  formed  an 
unmixed  mass,  because,  although  being  of  divers  nationalities  and 
coming  from  divers  social  classes,  they  were  of  pure  race  and  main- 
tained this  condition  with  very  rare  exception.  Besides,  they  came 
with  intent  of  bettering  themselves  by  becoming  independent  in  a 
measure,  if  not  of  the  Governments,  at  least  of  the  laws  that  had 
oppressed  them  at  home.  They  came  determined  to  settle  down,  and 
so  they  brought  their  families  with  them  and  a great  many  of  their 
belongings,  and  thus,  from  the  very  beginning,  they  established  homes 
and  organized  properly  constituted  communities  of  workers. 

Our  men  did  not  bring  their  women  and  families  until  many  years 
after  the  Conquest.  In  consequence,  the  Spaniards  from  the  very 
commencement  took  to  themselves  Indian  women  and  their  offspring 
became  the  “Mestizos,”  a mixed  race  that  the  haughty  and  pure 
Castilians  in  Spain  never  countenanced,  although  they  were  of  their 
own  flesh  and  blood.  Later  on,  when  conditions  became  more  settled, 
the  Spaniards  brought  their  families,  and  after  a time  the  “Creoles” 
came  into  existence.  These  were  the  offspring  of  European  parents 
born  in  the  New  World.  It  is  a well-known  fact  that  many  of  the 
Conquistadores  took  unto  themselves  women  of  the  Indian  race,  of 
the  governing  class;  especially  did  this  occur  in  Mexico  and  in  Peru, 
which  included  at  the  time  what  is  today  Ecuador  and  Bolivia,  as  there 
existed  in  Mexico  and  Peru  a semi-civilized  race  organized  into  castes. 
One  of  the  best  known  of  the  early  chroniclers  of  Peru,  and  who  has 
been  considered  as  an  authority  on  the  history  of  the  Inca  Empire, 
was  Inca  Garcilaso,  the  son  of  a Spanish  nobleman,  Garcilaso  de  la 
Vega,  who  came  to  Peru  in  1534,  and  who  married  dona  Isabel  Palla 
Huailas  Nusta,  daughter  of  Palla  Mama  Occllo  and  of  Huallpa  Tupac 


contrasts — ANGLO  AND  LATIN  AMERICA 


7 


Inca  Yupanqui,  fourth  son  of  the  Inca  Tupac  Yupanqui,  brother  of 
Huaina  Capac,  one  of  the  reigning  Incas. 

This  mixing  of  the  races,  white  and  Indian,  after  a time  was  not 
frowned  upon  by  the  haughty  Spanish  Monarchy,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
it  was  encouraged,  it  being  considered  the  best  possible  means  of 
establishing  a uniform  race;  the  idea  being  to  create  a great  middle 
class  that  would  in  time  make  useful  and  loyal  subjects  of  the  Crown. 

Many  of  the  Conquistadores  thus  married  or  entangled  themselves 
with  princesses  of  the  existing  dynasties  and  with  the  daughters  and 
relatives  of  the  Casiques  or  Chieftains.  And,  following  this  example, 
the  soldiery  and  the  retinues  of  these  leaders  were  allowed  a very 
large  amount  of  liberty  so  promiscuous  that  by  the  end  of  the  eighteenth 
century  the  “Mestizo”  population  of  Peru  had  exceeded  a quarter  of  a 
million. 

Some  of  these  Mestizos,  by  right  of  their  parentage,  were  given  the 
best  education  and  in  many  instances  they  were  brought  up  with  the 
Creole  children,  but,  by  far  the  vast  majority  were  kept  in  ignorance, 
and  made  to  do  menial  work,  or  at  most  allowed  to  apprentice  them- 
selves to  some  trade. 

The  Anglo  American  colonist,  when  he  established  himself  on  the 
shores  of  America,  was  already  somewhat  schooled  in  self-government. 
He  was  a man  of  discipline,  of  order,  and,  above  all  else,  he  was  a 
worker.  He  emigrated  because  he  sought  to  improve  his  condition, 
because  he  saw  in  the  new  land  beyond  the  seas  a new  life,  and  at  the 
very  first  opportunity  he  proved  himself  able  to  take  care  of  himself. 
With  such  men  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  New  Colonies 
should  have  been  more  or  less  successful  from  the  start,  and  that  the 
science  of  self-government  should  have  been  so  readily  acquired. 

Your  forefathers  came  over,  bringing  in  their  hearts  the  desire  to 
accomplish  great  things.  As  they  found  everything  in  an  undeveloped 
state,  they  were  obliged  to  take  the  initiative  and  try  to  help  themselves. 
From  the  first,  it  was  a great  cooperative  effort,  everyone  working  for 
himself,  but  at  the  same  time  lending  a helping  hand  to  his  neighbor. 

With  us  it  was  otherwise.  The  sight  of  such  great  wealth  as  the 
Conquistadores  found  in  some  of  our  countries,  the  existence  of  organ- 
ized states  where  the  ceremonies  were  carried  on  with  pomp  and 
splendor,  dazzled  the  more  or  less  ignorant  adventurers,  who  were  the 
first  comers,  and  completely  demoralized  them. 

I firmly  believe  that  had  those  brave  men,  for  brave  they  certainly 
were,  found  in  our  countries  the  conditions  that  the  Anglo-Saxon 
found  in  this,  they  would  surely  have  developed  qualities  that  might 
have  been  on  a par  with  some  of  the  ones  exhibited  by  your  pioneers. 


8 


THE  PAN  AMERICAN  UNION 


There  is  no  telling  what  would  have  resulted  from  altered  conditions 
in  our  respective  territories. 

The  news  of  the  riches  to  be  found  in  the  New  World,  attracted  to 
it  men  from  all  over  Europe.  To  our  countries  came  a very  large 
number  of  the  riffraff  soldiers  who  had  been  warring  all  over  Europe; 
men  courageous,  but  unscrupulous.  From  the  beginning,  these  men 
quarrelled  among  themselves,  over  the  spoils;  their  leaders  distrusted 
each  other;  they  organized  themselves  into  separate  camps  and  from 
the  moment  the  Conquest  was  consummated  an  actual  state  of  anarchv 
prevailed  throughout  the  new  dominions  of  the  Spanish  Monarch;  a 
seed  that  unquestionably  bore  fruit,  to  judge  from  the  history  of 
our  countries  with  their  perennial  upheavals  and  continued  discontent 
and  unrest. 

During  the  first  fifty  years  after  the  Conquest  by  the  Spaniards 
many  attempts  were  made  by  the  Crown  to  establish  good  government 
in  the  newly  acquired  possessions,  but  it  was  to  no  avail.  The  fact  is, 
that  the  men  who  came  to  us  were  untutored  in  the  science  of  govern- 
ment. They  knew  how  to  rule,  but  they  did  not  know  how  to  govern. 
So  for  two  centuries  and  more  the  European  and  the  Creole  exploited 
and  ruled  the  land,  and  the  Mestizos  and  the  Indians,  for  the  benefit 
of  the  mother  country. 

The  Indian  was  kept  in  a state  of  abject  servitude;  he  was  turned 
into  a beast  of  burden.  The  Mestizo  physiologically  is  nearer  to  the 
Caucasian  than  to  the  Indian.  Physically  and  morally  he  is  superior 
to  the  Indian,  and  although  of  less  active  intelligence  than  the  Euro- 
pean or  the  Creole,  he  is  more  strong-willed  and  more  persevering  and 
painstaking  in  all  his  undertakings. 

In  the  early  days  after  the  Conquest  the  Mestizo  who  happened  to 
have  one  parent  of  lineage  or  rank  was  given  every  facility  to  improve 
and  was  placed  on  an  equal  footing  with  the  Creoles,  but  as  the  years 
advanced,  and  the  Mestizos  became  more  and  more  numerous,  the 
vSpaniards  began  to  look  on  them  with  distrust,  and,  fearing  that  too 
much  education  would  give  them  certain  power  in  the  administration, 
they  forbade  them  to  occupy  certain  positions  and  prevented  them  from 
acquiring  too  much  knowledge.  But  many  of  them,  notwithstanding 
these  drawbacks,  opened  a way  for  themselves,  through  well-regulated 
homes  and  families,  and  placed  themselves  on  a level  with  their 
acknowledged  masters. 

During  these  years  the  Indians  were  continually  oppressed  by  the 
European,  the  Creole,  and  even  by  the  Mestizo.  But,  at  times,  some 
of  the  latter  would  join  in  the  rebellions  against  their  cruel  masters, 
only  to  be  crushed  the  more,  and  made  to  feel  the  distance  that 


CONTRASTS — ANGLO  AND  LATIN  AMERICA 


9 


separated  each  race.  And  so  it  was,  for  more  than  two  hundred  years, 
these  two  people,  the  Conquerors  and  the  Conquered,  subsisted  side  by 
side,  living  in  hatred  and  distrust  of  each  other,  until  eventually  out  of 
sheer  exhaustion  they  became  apparently  reconciled  to  their  respective 
conditions  when  gradually  a sort  of  colonial  nationality  was  evolved. 

This  nationality  formed  of  Creoles  and  Mestizos  might  have  been 
beneficial  to  our  countries  if  it  had  had  time  to  develop.  But  unfor- 
tunately, just  about  the  time  when  the  Spanish  American  was  begin- 
ning to  find  himself  and  to  make  himself  understood,  a wave  of  freedom 
swept  over  the  northern  portion  of  the  American  Continent,  and  Spain, 
fearing  that  the  example  would  be  followed  in  her  dominions,  tightened 
her  hold  on  her  unfortunate  subjects. 

The  splendid  results  of  the  independence  of  Anglo  America;  the 
advent  of  new  ideas  through  the  French  Revolution;  the  invasion  of 
Spain  by  Napoleon;  all  tended  to  engender  in  Latin  American  coun- 
tries the  desire  for  Independence. 

No  longer  was  it  the  rebellion  of  the  Indians.  These  unfortunates 
had  been  thoroughly  crushed  into  submission.  It  was  the  Creoles  and 
the  Mestizos  who  conspired  against  the  authority  of  the  mother 
country.  The  people  demanded  freedom.  They  sought  to  have  liber- 
ties, to  be  allowed  to  have  a direct  voice  in  the  government  and  the 
administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  countries. 

Spain,  notwithstanding  her  gradual  loss  of  power  in  Europe,  stub- 
bornly refused  to  listen  to  the  cry  of  her  subjects.  The  men  who  in 
her  own  Parliament  voiced  an  opinion  in  favor  of  the  Americans, 
were  denounced  as  traitors  to  their  country  and  as  friends  of  the 
French  invader. 

From  1804  the  unrest  in  Latin  America  was  most  evident.  It  broke 
out  into  revolution,  first  in  one  section,  then  in  another,  until  in  1810 
several  of  the  countries  established  their  independence,  organizing  a 
Republican  form  of  government.  But  there  was  no  preparation  for 
self-government,  such  as  the  Anglo  American  Commonwealths  had 
had.  They  decided  on  this  form  of  government  because  a wave  of 
Republicanism  had  swept  over  them.  The  ideas  and  principles  that 
they  adopted  were  taken  from  you,  from  the  French,  a little  from  each, 
and  they  simply  adopted  them  without  studying  their  own  condition, 
without  having  any  real  instinct  for  self-government,  without  having 
any  fitness  or  being  ready  for  such  a state. 

The  Anglo-American  passed  from  the  condition  of  a good  Colonial 
subject  to  that  of  a citizen  of  an  independent  Comipon wealth.  It  was 
a gradual  development.  He  took  with  him  from  one  state  into  the 


THE  PAN  AMERICAN  UNION 


lO 

other  the  experience  of  years,  and  a thorough  study  of  the  needs  of 
his  country  and  of  its  people. 

On  the  contrary,  our  people  were  totally  unprepared  for  self- 
government.  The  number  of  our  people  who  had  risen  to  positions  of 
distinction,  while  not  unappreciable,  was  scattered  over  a very  large 
area  from  Mexico  to  the  confines  of  South  America. 

In  each  of  our  countries  there  were  racial  divisions.  Their  popula- 
tions were  made  up  of  Creoles,  who,  together  with  the  Spaniards, 
formed  the  governing  class,  the  Mestizos  striving  to  be  on  an  equal 
footing  with  them,  and,  a long  way  down  in  the  scale,  the  Indians, 
considered  inferior  even  to  the  imported  African  slaves. 

The  three  centuries  of  Spanish  domination  had  been,  with  but  few 
intervals,  years  of  exploitation,  of  misrule,  of  neglect.  I do  not  blame 
Spain,  absolutely.  I think  that  this  condition  was  the  natural  outcome 
of  the  manner  in  which  the  Conquest  was  effected.  Many  unfortunate 
circumstances  militated  to  bring  about  in  Latin  America  conditions 
that  did  not  occur  in  Anglo  America.  Summing  these  up,  as  shown 
in  the  foregoing,  I can  but  say  that  you  were  more  fortunate  than  we 
in  the  beginning,  at  the  very  foundation,  and  that,  consequently,  when 
each  of  us  set  out  in  life  for  himself,  all  the  advantaged  were  with  you. 

Geographically  and  climatically  you  have  been  in  better  condition 
to  prosper  than  we,  and  to  develop  your  natural  resources.  The 
original  thirteen  States,  situated  on  the  east  coast  of  the  northern 
hemisphere  of  the  Continent,  nearer  to  Europe,  were  in  a position  to 
receive  an  ever-increasing  influx  of  the  most  desirable  emigrants  from 
western  Europe.  You  could  offer  them  climatic  conditions  more  or 
less  similar  to  theirs;  institutions  in  advance  of  theirs,  but  with  which 
they  were  familiar,  if  only  in  principle;  a language  that  was  the  surest 
vehicle  for  the  development  of  trade-relations;  religious  and  political 
freedom,  and  a virgin  country  rich  in  natural  resources,  a land  of 
opportunities,  holding  out  every  possible  kind  of  incentive  to  those 
who  came  to  its  shores,  and  inviting  them  to  remain  to  better  their 
condition  and  satisfy  their  ambitions. 

Latin  America,  situated  in  great  part  in  the  southern  hemisphere, 
with  many  of  its  centers  of  population  within  the  tropics,  on  the  Pacific 
slope,  or  on  the  high  table  lands  of  the  Andes  Mountains,  has  been 
more  or  less  inaccessible  to  European  emigration. 

So  while  you  have  had  a constant  flow  of  immigrants  to  your  shores, 
immigrants  who  have  helped  to  develop  your  country  and  its  resources, 
we  have  been  dragging  out  our  existence  trying  to  free  ourselves  from 
the  effects  of  inherent  conditions  that  were  drawbacks  to  our  develop- 


CONTRASTS — ANGLO  AND  LATIN  AMERICA  II 

merit.  Whereas  Republican  institutions  and  a knowledge  of  true  self- 
government  were  the  direct  inheritance  of  the  Anglo  American  Colonies 
at  their  birth  as  a nation;  Latin  America,  at  the  time  of  its  inception 
into  the  family  of  nation,  was  a group  of  dissociated  military  nations, 
utterly  unschooled  in  self-government,  and  inhabited  in  greater  part  by 
unfused  races. 

With  these  conditions  at  the  time  of  our  political  emancipation  it 
is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  our  first  steps  in  the  phth  of  freedom 
and  our  first  attempt  at  self-government  should  have  been  disastrous 
in  every  respect.  Our  educated  men,  and  we  had  throughout  Latin 
America  many  men  of  mark  and  distinction,  were  mostly  scholars, 
theorists  and  thinkers,  but  unpracticed  in  the  science  of  government. 
Moreover,  they  were  idealists  and  unpractical,  generally  fine  orators, 
with  great  versatility ; in  our  Parliaments,  Congresses  and  Assemblies 
they  vied  with  each  other  in  scholarly  and  cultured  debate. 

All  of  the  great  principles  that  had  taken  centuries  to  ripen,  in  the 
nations  of  the  Old  World,  were  adopted  by  us,  at  a stroke  of  the  pen 
and  by  acclamation.  Without  having  inborn  in  us  any  of  the  principles 
of  true  democracy,  we  became,  overnight,  as  it  were,  democratic  and 
representative  republics.  From  despotism  and  servitude  we  jumped 
into  the  most  advanced  form  of  government. 

Of  course,  there  were  many  men  who  would  have  been  great  men  in 
this  or  in  any  other  country.  There  were  men  who,  under  other  con- 
ditions and  with  different  environments,  would  have  risen  to  great 
heights,  but  I am  dealing  with  facts  and  not  with  suppositions;  conse- 
quently, the  lack  of  proper  training,  owing  to  the  conditions  under 
which  our  countries  had  lived  since  the  Conquest,  and  the  class  of 
men  who  had  been  responsible  for  the  government  and  administration 
of  them,  as  also  the  nature  of  their  inhabitants,  were  all  conducive  to 
the  state  that  followed  immediately  the  political  emancipation  of 
Latin  America. 

Your  thirteen  original  States  had  already  a growing  trade  with 
Europe,  and  even  with  the  Orient,  at  the  time  of  your  Independence. 

Latin  America,  for  three  centuries,  had  been  supplying  to  ever- 
needy  Spain  the  precious  metels  obtained  from  its  mines  by  the 
enforced  hard  labor  of  the  poor  natives.  The  mother  country  did  not 
permit  her  American  possessions  to  trade  with  other  countries.  The 
produets  of  our  soils  were  sent  to  Spain,  or  were  consumed  at  home,  or 
exported  to  the  other  dominions  of  our  Master.  The  trade  was  in  the 
hands  of  Spaniards,  and  Spanish  ships  earried  it. 

England,  always  far-seeing,  always  alert  to  improving  her  com- 
mercial supremacy,  saw  a great  future  for  her  commerce  and  trade  in 


12 


THE  PAN  AMERICAN  UNION 


Spanish  America,  and,  while  she  was  the  ally  of  Spain,  assisting  her 
to  overthrow  the  Napoleonic  invasion  of  the  Peninsula,  she  was,  at 
the  same  time,  urging  upon  Spain  to  grant  to  her  restless  and  dis- 
contented possessions  certain  freedom  and  autonomy.  England  knew 
that  Spain  had  no  longer  the  financial  power  to  develop  those  coun- 
tries; she  foresaw  the  day  when  they  would  become  independent,  and 
she  decided  to  get  for  herself  a trade  that  would  be  of  very  great  con- 
sequence at  some  future  date. 

During  the  time  that  our  countries  were  fighting  the  mother  country 
we  received  great  moral  and  material  assistance  from  Great  Britain. 
It  is  often  said  that  nations  are  wont  to  be  ungrateful,  and  that  they 
seldom  remember  the  services  rendered  by  other  nations  or  by  aliens 
who  embrace  their  cause.  I trust  that  this  will  never  be  said  of 
Spanish  America,  because  we  do  remember  the  assistance  that  Great 
Britain  gave  us,  in  quite  the  same  manner  as  you  remember  what 
France  did  for  you  during  your  own  great  war,  and,  moreover,  we 
have  not  forgotten  that  in  the  days  of  our  struggle,  we  had  the  sympathy 
and  the  aid  of  many  noble  soldiers  and  sailors  from  the  cradle  of  Amer- 
ican liberty,  your  own  country. 

So  you  see,  that  while  you,  in  Anglo  America,  had  everything  con- 
ducive to  national  welfare,  we  were  laboring  under  the  stress  of  great 
difficulties.  . 

We  had  no  money.  We  had  no  foreign  trade,  to  speak  of.  We 
had  no  internal  developments.  Slavery  had  been  introduced  into  many 
of  our  countries,  and  the  same  laxity  that  had  allowed  a promiscuous 
intercourse  between  Creole,  white  man  and  Indian,  permitted  the 
mixing  of  the  African  with  the  other  races. 

Certainly  no  worse  conditions  for  the  formation  of  a nationality 
could  exist.  From  the  very  outset  we  followed  in  the  footsteps  of 
our  late  masters;  in  fact,  many  of  these  became  our  first  and  foremost 
citizens.  They  applied  the  democratic  republican  theories  and  practices 
to  a people  who  were  unprepared  for  them,  and,  as  was  natural,  the 
result  was  license,  misrule  and  finally  chaos. 

As  things  went  wrong  under  one  man,  another  was  tried,  and  as  he 
could  not  improve  the  condition,  the  reason  for  which  did  not  depend 
on  the  man,  but  was  the  natural  sequence  to  all  that  had  gone  before, 
the  consequence  was  continual  unrest,  dissatisfaction  and  perpetual 
changes  of  political  leaders,  with  the  result  that  the  nations  became 
impoverished,  the  inhabitants,  instead  of  improving,  degenerated  and 
became,  in  many  instances,  next  to  worthless  as  a national  asset. 

The  general  state  of  national  bankruptcy  that  was  prevalent  in 
Latin  America  a few  years  after  the  final  overthrow  of  Spanish  rule 


CONTRASTS — ANGLO  AND  LATIN  AMERICA 


13 


in  1821,  served  as  an  incentive  to  European  money  lenders  and  finan- 
ciers of  a more  or  less  obscure  class,  who  came  forward  to  offer  their 
services  for  all  and  every  conceivable  object,  from  a mere  money  loan 
to  the  building  of  public  works  and  the  development  of  the  mineral  and 
agricultural  resources  of  the  land.  Many  men  of  shady  reputations, 
with  pasts  that  would  not  bear  a very  close  scrutiny  and  investigation, 
flocked  to  the  newly  constituted  States,  offering  their  services,  and 
ready  to  take  up  anything  in  the  shape  of  a concession,  which  they 
immediately  took  to  Europe  to  finance  there.  In  this  manner  Latin 
America  was  duped  and  swindled.  Loans  were  raised,  the  proceeds 
of  which  were  used  up  in  paying  commissions  and  expenses,  but  the 
unfortunate  state  had  to  meet  the  obligation  or  default.  It  is  a very 
long  story,  this  history  of  the  financial  struggles  of  many  of  the  young 
Latin  American  Republics,  and  it  is  a very  pitiful  story. 

In  like  manner,  and  as  we  had  started  out  with  the  wrong  foot  at 
the  time  of  the  Conquest,  the  same  misfortune  befell  us  when  we 
launched  out  into  independent  statehood.  In  other  words,  we  ran 
before  we  walked.  We  wrote  before  we  learnt  our  A.  B.  C.  We 
assumed  a developed  stage  without  first  having  had  the  preliminaries. 
How  different  this  was  in  your  case!  Yet  how  very  few  people  are 
there  who  think  of  this  when  discussing  and  criticising  us ! How  many 
are  there  among  you  who  think  of  this  and  stop  to  consider  to  what 
extent  the  Latin  American  countries  and  their  people  have  been 
handicapped? 

We  have  been  misjudged.  We  have  been  misrepresented  at  all 
times.  And  all  because  our  critics  have  failed  to  look  into  our  early 
histories  and  ascertain  the  why  and  wherefore  of  the  present  state  of 
affairs.  They  have  sought  in  our  countries  for  practically  the  same 
conditions  as  exist  in  other  more  fortunate  lands,  where  the  evolution 
of  nationality  has  been  gradual  and  logical,  because  there  has  been  a 
foundation  for  it. 

It  is  impossible  to  build  where  the  foundation  is  not  solid;  where 
the  ground  has  not  first  been  well  broken  and  prepared.  As  I stand 
here  before  you  and  think  that  I come  from  the  country  that  is  proud 
to  possess  the  oldest  trace  of  prehistoric  civilization  on  the  Continent, 
the  Nation  that  boasts  the  most  ancient  seat  of  learning  in  the  Americas, 
it  grieves  me  to  consider  that,  notwithstanding  the  age  of  my  country 
and  the  venerableness  of  that  seat  of  learning,  the  University  of  San 
Marcos,  we  still  are,  as  a nation,  in  our  infancy.  And  it  is  so  because 
only  now  are  we  developing  our  true  nationality.  And  we  know  now 
that  the  formative  period  may  be  considered  as  well  over,  and  we  feel 


14 


THE  PAN  AMERICAN  UNION 


ready  to  face  the  future  with  full  confidence  in  ourselves,  and  in  our 
country. 

Some  of  the  countries  of  Latin  America  have  already  made  won- 
derful strides  along  the  path  of  progress,  material  and  intellectual. 
Some  have  already  crossed  their  Rubicon  and  are  forging  ahead  at  a 
rapid  pace.  Argentina,  in  which  conditions  are  more  analogous  to 
those  of  the  United  States,  has  already  attained  a greater  material 
growth  than  any  other  Latin  American  Nation.  The  tide  of  immigra- 
tion from  the  European  countries  has  been  for  some  years  steadily 
flowing  towards  the  southern  part  of  our  Continent.  Brazil  and,  more 
specially,  Argentina  have  been  receiving  in  increased  numbers  Euro- 
pean settlers.  In  Argentina,  the  blending  of  the  races  is  taking  place, 
and  a condition  similar  to  that  which  occurred  in  the  United  States  is 
developing  there.  Southern  Brazil  and  Uruguay,  on  the  Atlantic,  and 
Chile,  on  the  Pacific,  are  developing  strong  nationalities.  In  the  latter 
country  climatic  conditions  and  a more  homogeneous  race  have  been 
favorable. 

The  Panama  Canal  will  open  the  west  coast  of  Latin  America  to 
European  immigration.  It  will  help  to  open  to  trade  the  countries  on 
the  Pacific  Slope.  Through  the  new  waterway,  Peru  will  be  in  a 
direct  line  of  communication  with  Europe  and  the  Gulf  and  Atlantic 
ports  of  the  United  States.  The  Canal  will  be  the  great  gateway 
through  which  will  flow  to  our  shores  a stream  of  progress,  carrying 
along  with  it  men  with  capital,  men  with  energy  and  activity,  men  who 
will  come  to  us  in  the  spirit  that  the  pioneers  from  these  New  England 
States  went  into  the  West  of  this  great  country  and  founded  there  a 
greater  empire  of  wealth  than  even  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  founded  in 
this  section  of  your  country. 

There  is  a happy  faculty  that  is  common  to  the  whole  of  America,  of 
being  able  to  readily  assimilate  diverse  foreign  immigrants  and  turn 
them  into  good  citizens.  The  melting  pot  does  not  exist  only  in  your 
country.  In  each  of  the  Latin  American  nations  it  is  doing  the  work 
of  fusing  into  one  great  nationality  the  stray  elements  from  all  over 
Europe. 

Anyone  who  takes  up  a directory  of  any  of  the  Latin  American 
countries  will  be  astonished  to  read  the  number  of  names  of  English, 
Scotch,  French,  Irish,  German,  Dutch,  Slav  and  Italian  origin  that 
are  to  be  found,  and  he  will  be  even  more  astonished  when  he  learns 
that  the  Edwards,  the  McKennas,  the  Gallaghers,  the  Joneses,  the 
Browns,  the  Smiths,  the  Whites,  the  Carters,  the  Henrys,  the  Blacks, 
the  Washbournes,  the  Mullers,  the  Cawthorns,  the  Milanovitz,  the 
Gosdinkys,  the  O’Donnells,  the  Elmores,  the  Lynches,  the  Lefevres, 
the  Dubois,  the  Canevaros,  the  Figari,  the  Hemmerde,  the  Schaffers, 


CONTRASTS — ANGLO  AND  LATIN  AMERICA 


15 


the  V^on  der  Heyde,  the  Jacobys,  the  Salomons,  the  Dreyfus,  the 
Bergmans,  the  Schreit-Mullers,  the  Schriebens,  the  Hahns,  etc.,  etc., 
etc.,  are  Latin  Americans  of  two  or  more  generations. 

At  present  in  Peru  our  President  is  Senor  Billinghurst,  and  two 
members  of  the  Supreme  Court  are  Justice  Elmore  and  Justice  Wash- 
bourne;  the  President  of  the  Lima  Chamber  of  Commerce  is  Senor 
Gallagher,  the  Assistant  Secretary  of  State  is  Senor  Althous,  the 
Consul  General  in  New  York  is  Senor  Higginson,  one  of  our  most  dis- 
tinguished Generals  is  Senor  Canevaro,  one  of  the  leaders  in  Congress 
is  Senor  Salomon,  and  all  of  these  are  Peruvian  citizens  by  right  of  birth. 

The  native  Indian  population,  so  long  neglected,  is  now  a matter 
of  deep  concern  to  many  of  our  countries,  and  in  Peru,  where  we  have 
a very  large  percentage  of  pure  Indian  and  of  Mestizos,  we  are  doing 
everything  that  is  possible  to  undo  the  evil  and  the  many  injustices  that 
have  been  done  unto  them  since  their  country  was  wrested  from  them 
at  the  time  of  the  Conquest. 

This  is  a problem  of  the  greatest  importance  and  one  that  is  receiv- 
ing the  greatest  attention  in  my  country  from  the  men  who  have  at 
heart  the  welfare,  prosperity  and  the  future  of  the  Nation. 

In  the  foregoing  I have  attempted  to  present  the  many  drawbacks 
that  the  Latin  American  Nations  have  had  in  the  development  of 
nationality. 

I would  beg  5rou  to  consider  this  question  when  you  are  judging  the 
Latin  American.  Bear  in  mind  what  I have  tried  to  make  clear  to 
you,  and  if  you  do  this,  you  will  be  better  able  to  understand  his 
idiosyncrasy  and,  in  time,  you  will  perhaps  look  upon  him  as  a com- 
panion and  a fellow-worker  in  the  great  cause  of  human  uplift.  We 
are  all  striving  for  a common  goal.  Our  methods  may  differ,  but  our 
aspirations  are  the  same,  and  the  earnest  endeavor  of  each  is'  worthy  of 
the  respect  of  the  other. 


The  pan  AMERICAN  UNION  is  the  inter- 
national organization  and  office  maintained 
in  Washington,  D.  C.,  by  the  twenty-one 
American  republics,  as  follows:  Argentina,  Bolivia, 
Brazil,  Chile,  Colombia,  Costa  Rica,  Cuba,  Domini- 
can Republic,  Ecuador,  Guatemala,  Haiti,  Honduras, 
Mexico,  Nicaragua,  Panama,  Paraguay,  Peru,  Salva- 
dor, United  States,  Uruguay,  and  Venezuela.  It  is 
devoted  to  the  development  and  advancement  of 
commerce,  friendly  intercourse,  and  good  under- 
standing among  these  countries.  It  is  supported  by 
quotas  contributed  by  each  country,  based  upon  the 
population.  Its  affairs  are  administered  by  a Direc- 
tor General  and  Assistant  Director,  elected  by  and 
responsible  to  a Governing  Board,  which  is  com- 
posed of  the  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States 
and  the  diplomatic  representatives  in  Washington 
of  the  other  American  governments.  These  two 
executive  officers  are  assisted  by  a staff  of  inter- 
national experts,  statisticians,  commercial  special- 
ists, editors,  translators,  compilers,  librarians,  clerks 
and  stenographers.  The  Union  publishes  a Monthly 
Bulletin  in  English,  Spanish,  Portuguese  and  French, 
which  is  a careful  record  of  Pan  American  progress. 
It  also  publishes  numerous  special  reports  and  pam- 
phlets on  various  subjects  of  practical  information. 
Its  library,  the  Columbus  Memorial  Library,  con- 
tains 36,000  volumes,  18,000  photographs.  132,000 
index  cards,  and  a large  collection  of  maps.  The 
Union  is  housed  in  a beautiful  building  erected 
through  the  munificence  of  Andrew  Carnegie. 


Press  of  Gibson  Brother* 
Washington 


